Ready to help you zap the very last of your New Year's resolutions, there's pastry Chef Meredith Tomason's newish Raresweets, a bakeshop and specialty dessert company.
Located in the gluttonous commercial district now known as CityCenterDC, Raresweets (963 Palmer Alley NW) opened in mid-December.
Its menu offers seasonally driven layer cakes, doughnuts, coffee cakes, cookies, biscuits, ice creams, (we could go on) and other heirloom American confections re-imagined for a modern palate.
For Valentine's Day, you can go big and grab a "Let's Get it On" gift box ($55-$67), filled with a jar of housemade hot cocoa mix and an assortment of treats ranging from macaroons to blondies and more. If you're looking to spend a lot less, you can pick up a bag of chocolate-dipped macaroons, or opt for the cookies -- with song lyrics -- at $2.50 apiece. You can place an order by Feb. 9 or pick up in-store.
Tomason's held high-profile pastry roles in New York, such as pastry chef at Tom Colicchio's lauded Craft Restaurant, and stints at Tribeca Treats and the famed Magnolia Bakery. She was inspired to open RareSweets by her late grandmother, an avid baker, from whom Tomason slowly learned the treasure trove of family recipes dating back several generations.
Family recipes for gingersnap cookies and cocoa crinkles earned a spot on RareSweets' opening menu, which also featured recipes inspired by Tomason's vast vintage cookbook collection, some dating back to the 1850s.
